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March 21, 2009

Peace Grannie Arrested in Times Square

By Joan Wile

STORY OF PEACE GRANDMOTHERS ARRESTED AND JAILED IN TIMES SQUARE MARCH 18, 2009

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Relax, everyone!  The New York City police are really on the job these days.  With rapists, murderers, bank robbers and dope peddlers, not to mention corporate thieves, rampant throughout the City, they made a significant dent in the crime statistics yesterday, March 18, when they arrested seven grandmothers aged 67 to 90 in Times Square. 

The grannies, all members of the Granny Peace Brigade, were sent to jail while protesting at the Times Square recruiting station.  Their arrest occurred during what is believed to  be the first antiwar protest of the Obama Administration, in an attempt to urge the President to reconsider his decision to retain 50,000 troops in Iraq after the official withdrawal scheduled to be completed in the next 18 months and his order for 17,000 more troops sent to Afghanistan.  The women feel strongly that these measures will only result in increased death and destruction for Americans, Iraqis and Afghanis and further solidify anti-American feeling throughout the world.  Said 94-year-old Brigadier Marie Runyon, "Peace can only be achieved through diplomacy and humanitarian aid."  The Granny Peace Brigade women are mostly strong supporters of Barack Obama but were responding to his request that his constituency pressure him to do the right thing when they feel he is on the wrong path. 

The Brigade is not new to demonstrating at the Times Square recruiting station -- eighteen of the grannies were arrested and jailed on Oct. 17, 2005, when they attempted to enlist in the military to replace America's grandchildren in harm's way in Iraq.  After a six-day trial in criminal court, they were acquitted.
        
The seven grannies were arrested at approximately 1:45 p.m. and taken to the Midtown South police precinct.  They were not all released until early the next morning, a total of approximately 12 hours.  Some of them became shaky and weak after many hours of not eating, but were given no food for another hour and a half. 
        
Prior to the arrest, about 50 grannies and their supporters gathered on Military Island at which a press conference was held including speeches by mayoral candidate Rev. Billy, legendary Broadway actress and activist Vinie Burrows (one of the original 18 granny jailbirds), and a young member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Matthis Chiroux.  A sister group, the Raging Grannies, performed some of their original anti-war songs.
        
During the press conference, grandmothers wrapped yellow police crime scene tape around the ramp near the recruiting center, after which a group, some in wheelchairs and hanging on to walkers, assembled on the ramp leading to the center. 
        
The team of Norman Siegel and Earl Ward, who successfully defended the grannies in 2005, will represent them in their current case, for which the grandmothers are profoundly grateful.  Siegel, currently a candidate for New York City Public Advocate, is a favorite of the ladies for his continuous support of them. 


Authors Website: 222.joanwile.blogspot.com

Authors Bio:

JOAN WILE -- author of newly-published book,

GRANDMOTHERS AGAINST THE WAR: GETTING OFF OUR FANNIES AND STANDING UP FOR PEACE (Citadel Press, May 2008 -- available at amazon.com and in book stores), which is an account of her founding of the anti-war group, Grandmothers Against the War, who famously were arrested and jailed when they tried to enlist in the military at the Times Square recruitment center. She is a lyricist-composer-singer-musician for TV, cabaret, jingles, theatre,

recordings, concerts, movie film scores. Winner, ASCAP POPULAR AWARD, and WESTPORT-WESTON ARTS COUNCIL AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING NEW MUSICAL. Runner-up AMERICAN SONG FESTIVAL AWARD. She's had 5 musicals produced off- and off-off-Broadway. Joan has received numerous civic awards for her work with the grannies and is listed in Who's Who in America and all its various spin-offs. She is a grandmother of five.


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